The Soka Gakkai ('Society for Value Creation') is a global Buddhist movement dedicated to peace, culture and education.
This event traces the history of the faith of SGI New Zealand including their Buddhist community culture centre's contribution to Auckland’s heritage over five decades.
Nichiren Buddhism was introduced to New Zealand in the mid-1960s by Hiroshima immigrant Yuki Johnston, leading to the establishment of New Zealand's first Soka Gakkai district in 1975. Since then, SGI Auckland's Buddhist Culture Centre has become a longstanding community venue, hosting free public exhibitions, cultural performances, educational forums, youth activities and interfaith dialogue. Over the years, it has hosted Peace City and Nuclear-Free New Zealand commemorations, the Tūmanako (Hope) Interfaith Art Exhibition and other initiatives promoting dialogue and social cohesion.
This year's October World Peace Chanting Gathering continues that tradition and will feature Transforming Lives: The Power of Human Rights Education, an international exhibition exploring how education empowers individuals to uphold human dignity and build peaceful, inclusive communities.